“No…well actually, some dust masks, in case they drop tear gas on us…yeah, just those little paper ones…thanks!”

It’s all a little surreal. We’re expecting to be at Standing Rock tomorrow, and it’s hard to know how to feel at this point. To a large extent, I’m expecting to be camping in the cold and praying with an amazing community of wonderful people. That all sounds great! But what about this other stuff…

We keep hearing the stories from folks on the front lines…a young person shot in the back with rubber bullets who starts coughing up blood…people sprayed with fire extinguishers…and on the up side a rumor that some cops have turned in their badges over how they have been asked to treat peaceful prayerful protesters. Continue reading →

“Water is life! Water is Sacred.

Salmon will run, No dam can hold!”

There’s a lot going on right now, going down right now. For many of us it feels pretty easy to sit back and watch, and then go back to our lives as if it’s just another normal day. But a good friend of mine, a Native Elder and generally wise person, sees things a little differently…

“If Standing Rock doesn’t succeed, we won’t be around any more”.

Those are some powerful words. For many Native people Standing Rock is about protecting them selves, their culture and communities, their very existence. If I stand with my friends protesting something like climate change I’m dimly aware that down the line this might really mean something. In North Dakota right now Native folks are protecting their very existence.